A roaring success: dinosaur party

Dinosaurs are extinct – we’re told – but any parent will confirm that in the imaginations of most young kids, they’re still very much alive. It’s understandable – dinosaurs get to do what they want, when they want, and with their thrashing tails, pointy teeth and ferocious roars, they satisfy a child’s appetite for scary things without presenting any real threat.

Auckland mother Tracey Atkin is more than happy to encourage her little up-and-coming paleontologist. Three-year-old son Bodie is a committed fan of all things dinosaur, so a rustic dinosaur theme was an easy choice for his recent birthday party.

The birthday cake and mini donuts were made by Bets Monk’s Magnolia kitchen. The semi-naked cake in salted caramel flavour had a simple elegance to it and Bodie selected Arlo and Spot (from the movie The Good Dinosaur) to go on the top. Tracey added some eucalyptus leaves around the base of the cake and the bones of a dino-mite party were all in place.

Tracey wanted the food to match the theme, but didn’t want to veer too far away from traditional party fare. She served up dinosaur cookies and cupcakes from her local cake shop, along with sausage rolls, popcorn, sushi, lollipops and chocolate eggs.

Despite juggling a newborn, Tracey enjoyed the challenge of turning their home and garden into a kind of Jurassic wonderland. She set the scene with trestle tables dressed in hessian and decorated with greenery, large plastic dinosaur bones and a variety of toy dinosaurs. The bones, along with the tree stumps the children sat on and the slices of wood used for serving food, were sourced from Pop Roc Parties.

Punch – ginger ale, orange juice and orange slices – was on tap to quench the thirst, served in a glass drink dispenser which worked in well with the rustic look.

Entertainment came in the form of a giant dinosaur bouncy castle, which was hired from Blast Entertainment, and an entertainer from Awesome Kids Parties. The entertainer, dressed as a dinosaur of course, made balloon animals, painted the children’s faces and was responsible for running the games, which left Tracey free to keep an eye on proceedings, mingle with family members and relax enough to enjoy her son’s celebration.

The hessian loot bags were purchased from Look Sharp Store and Tracey stuffed them with mini dinosaurs, party poppers and lollies.

Natural hessian, $10.99 per metre from Spotlight; Triceratops plywood timber kit with LED lamp, $90, kidzspace.co.nz; Grass table runner, $49.99, pixiepartysupplies.co.nz; Ivy spray, $19.95 for 1.8m, rustic crate, $16.95, and natural linen favour bag, $1.50, all from sweetpeaparties.co.nz; Play Studio dinosaur set, $3 from The Warehouse; Larger plastic dinosaur, $5, and drinking jar, $1, both from Kmart; Vintage paper straw in green chevron, $9.99 for 50, glow in the dark dinosaurs, $2.99 for 24, large disposable wooden cone, $9.99 for 10, Meri Meri Dinky Dinos cookie cutters, $32.99, small disposable wooden plate, $8.99 for 10, and gold beverage napkin, $4.99 for 50, all from pixiepartysupplies.co.nz